5/26/2006: Tiny tortoise baby

glatt points out that this "typical" cute baby picture is amazing because of the size of the thing, and it is. Imagine that raspberry in front of you, the size of the end of your pinky.

The full BBC story explains that this is one of three Egyptian tortoises born at the Chester zoo.

I think this qualifies as SuperCute. So. Freakin'. Adorable!

PS-turtles hatch, right?

Awwwww, da widdle fing is so cuuuuute!!

You'd need a lot of them to make a decent bowl of soup. I don't the flavor of turtles expands like that of truffles, where a little goes a long way.

A basket of turtle poppers would be just the thing right now.

Do you prefer the cream cheese or the cheddar?

The local style is with swiss, since we're so far from the ocean.

WHY must every cute little creature on a Friday IotD be analyzed for consumption? JUST WHY??? You people make me sick!




















But, really, you DO.

Make me sick, that is.

The zoo's webpage has another (tiny) picture.

Upcoming foreign film:

Tortass Man VS Raspbully. Coming to theatres several hundred miles from you.

Must....look....away....
Must....preserve....braincells! (In William Shatner voice)

I guess when you live so long you've got to start off small.

He is awfully cute, but I can't help thinking...softshell tortoise tempura snacks. Yum!

That is too freakin' cute!!

They're SNACK A DELIC!

It could be worse. What if every cute little critter led to a discussion of their suitability in the bedroom?

My 14 year-old son saw the pic and read your comments here. He said, "Aw, the poor little guy. Everybody's looking at him with hungry eyes!"
I hope you're all happy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brianna WHY must every cute little creature on a Friday IotD be analyzed for consumption? JUST WHY??? You people make me sick! But, really, you DO. Make me sick, that is.

You guys just don't know how BIG a fifty pence piece is! That is not a tiny tortoise in the first picture, it is HUGE freaking genetically modified RASPBERRY !

It's about the size of a quarter, right?

And I think that the display of the tasty creature next to a very reasonable saucing suggestion is what really lead the thoughts to food.

To me, he looks angry

With slant of his brow, he looks angry - probably because someone put a delicious raspberry in front of him and he knows he can't open his mouth wide enough for even one nibble. And if he pops a drupelet, he could drown.

Quote:

Originally Posted by limey You guys just don't know how BIG a fifty pence piece is! That is not a tiny tortoise in the first picture, it is HUGE freaking genetically modified RASPBERRY !

Drupelet

I had to look it up. "Small raspberry nodule thingie" didn't have that snazzy ring to it.

Thanks for taking the time to be snazzy.

Did you know that these babys wii take about ten years to grow to the size of a hardcover book if they are fed well. Our babies spent the first yearon our bedroom window shelf with an incandescent bulb to keep them warm and metabolism up so will eat and grow. gets too cold and they just sleep.My wife has had some adults for over 48 years and we are told they can life to be 150 to 175 years. They tend to outlife the resarchers so maybe 200 years would not be out of the question. These are pets thatyou must bequeath in your will. They adults make great mobile landscaping rocks also. They are about 20" long by13" wide and 5"high.

How many of these do you have, Pigpen? How about posting some pictures for us.

The dude who owns the best pizza joint in the world has two massive tortoises in the restaurant... one of 'em is 45 cm long (at least), and easily weighs as much as I do. He is well fed on vegetable scraps and pizza...

My 12 year old son is buying a turtle. Of course he thought that meant going to the turtle store, bringing home a turtle, and keeping it in a box, when he's not all over it. I told him I have an unused fish aquarium set-up that he can use. I, being anal compulsive, researched on the net and found that it takes a bunch of gear to care for a turtle. A lamp for basking, a light that gives off UVA and UVB rays, water heater that can't be damaged by a turtle, etc, etc.

Can a turtle owner please give me some realistic guidance on what it actually takes to care for a red eared slider?

Turtles carry like, too many diseases to list. Many of them extremely dangerous to humans.

First thing to be aware of is there is a big difference between a tortoise, a terrestrial herbivore' and a turtle, amphbious omnivore. We do not do turtles in our ring of tortoise lovers. Turtles are more aggressive, slimey and tend to carry diseases like salmonella if not kept in an optimal environment where they can not dine on carrion. We have four tortoises. Two were raised from babies and the two adults. their up keep is pretty easy once they get about five years old or better. they are allowed to cruise around the fenced backyard. As herbivores they can live on moist lawn grass. They do not drink water and all their water requirements are met from what they eat. They love plums, apricots most other fruit. We really do not have to feed them but Janice, my wife, spoils them. She actually packs the fridge with iceberg lettuce for the big guys; Johnboy and Petunia; and hearts of romaine for the little ones; Raisen and Putt Putt. We sometimes get in mildly heated discussions on the cost benefit of buying them lettuce especially when lettuce starts hitting $1.50 or more a head. Thats when I suggest she talk to the local store produce manager to save scrapes for them( which they have done in the past as this is a small town) but she thinks that is icky and keeps buying the lettuce for her loved ones. At that point I just internally grumble knowing I am the relative newcomer here since we have only been married 31 years and they have been with her for almost 49 years. But relief comes in late October when the lettuce price is the highest and they go into hibernation till next spring. During that period they do not eat at all so all is well. They are good for your blood pressure since they move slowly but determined on their course. I would provide pictures but I do not have a digital camera and would need help with that if I did borrow one. Note I am a relative newbie to the cellar. buy the way Saturdays picture post is of a turtle..not a tortoise

Is it true that all turtles are gay?

Oh happy days. We don't have to eat them, 'cause some guy has figured out how to turn them into booze.

Ew. Beef bouillon beer? Pigwine? Uh, no thanks, I'm not that thirsty.

At the risk of sounding um racist, am I not surprised that this is a japanese invention?

tulture.

sorry. couldn't resist.